Building a Low Carbon America
The United States is the world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the largest cumulative emitter in history. But America is also home to the innovation, capital, and entrepreneurial energy needed to lead the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Low Carbon America tracks the policies, technologies, and business models driving that transition — in short, readable articles designed for busy people who care about the future.
Featured Topics
The Grid Is Getting Cleaner
U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources has doubled in a decade. Solar and wind now account for over 20% of generation, and coal has dropped below 15%. Battery storage is the missing piece that makes intermittent renewables dispatchable — and it is scaling fast.
EVs Are Crossing the Tipping Point
Electric vehicles now account for roughly 10% of new car sales in the U.S. The Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits, expanding charging infrastructure, and new models from every major manufacturer are accelerating adoption. The question is no longer whether EVs will dominate — it is how quickly.
Industrial Decarbonization Is the Hard Part
Steel, cement, and chemicals account for 20% of U.S. emissions and are among the hardest sectors to decarbonize. Green hydrogen, carbon capture, and electrification of industrial heat are emerging solutions, but scale remains the challenge.
Buildings Need a Retrofit Revolution
Forty percent of U.S. energy consumption occurs in buildings. Heat pump adoption, building envelope upgrades, and electrification of gas appliances are the keys to reducing this sector's footprint.
By the Numbers
| Metric | Current | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Annual CO₂ emissions | ~5 billion tons | Net-zero by 2050 |
| Renewable electricity share | ~22% | 80%+ by 2030 |
| EV share of new car sales | ~10% | 50%+ by 2030 |
| Heat pump installations/year | ~4 million | 10+ million |
| Clean hydrogen production | <1 MT/year | 10 MT/year by 2030 |
What You Can Do
High-Impact Individual Actions
- Electrify your home heating — Switching from a gas furnace to a heat pump is the single largest decarbonization step most households can take
- Drive electric — Your next car should be an EV or plug-in hybrid
- Install solar — Rooftop solar with a battery makes you an energy producer, not just a consumer
- Fly less — One round-trip cross-country flight generates roughly one ton of CO₂ per passenger
- Eat less beef — Beef production generates 10x the emissions of chicken and 50x the emissions of legumes
Why Low Carbon America
- Concise and current — Short articles that respect your time and stay up to date
- Solutions-focused — We cover what is working, not just what is wrong
- Data-driven — Every claim is supported by traceable data sources
- Nonpartisan — Decarbonization is an engineering and economic challenge, not a partisan one
The low-carbon transition is the largest economic transformation in American history. Stay informed.